Various Artists ‎– "Color Supplement" (Color Disc ‎– colors 4) 1988

Its 1988, we're all E'd up, shaking maraccas, and white man-dancing like idiots;but there were small oasis's of sanity to be found.One of those places of solace was Color Tapes, and probably the most well known Color Disc/Tapes compilation is dis (sic).
It's got the usual array of Gary Ramon,Lives Of Angels collaborations, and the usual mix-up of Neo-Psych and minimal synth tracks. There are few tracks that i haven't already featured elsewhere on the Blog, but it makes a fine introdustion to one of the founding father labels of British Independent music culture.

Tracklisting:
A1 –Modern Art - Golden Legend
A2 –Modern Art - Forbidden Universe
A3 –Modern Art - Cutting Water
A4 –Mystery Plane - Snakebite
A5 –Mystery Plane - Burning Desire
A6 –Mystery Plane - Crazy Bombs
B1 –Lives Of Angels - Look Out Kid
B2 –Lives Of Angels - Red Suit
B3 –Lives Of Angels - After Dark (Intended Version)
B4 –WeR7 - Bread
B5 –WeR7 - Caped Crusader
B6 –WeR7 - Now Wash Your Hands

DOWNLOAD in full glossy color HERE!

WeR7 ‎– "Rock'n'Roll is the Most" (Music For Midgets ) 1983

Basically WeR7 was a classic UK DIY project based around Gary Ramon and Antony Clough of Modern Art(etc).

It has all the hallmarks of original DIY, such as fuzzy sound quality, no songs, cheap drum box,experimentalism to replace ability,tapes of dialogue,no ambition....you name it it's here.

They were later to go minimal synth on us.....sucessfully I may add.

What it says on the tape insert:
Jo Change was recorded on 4-track and previously released on the compilation bearing the same name. Don't Surrender was featured on the cassette Dance To This which has been deleted.
...
Recorded by Conventional Tapes, 1 Atkinson Court, 2 Kings Close, London E10. Available from Music For Midgets, 40 Thompson Road, Langley Green, West Midlands.

Members of WeR7 can be found on tapes by The Ordinary, The Casual Labourers, The Door And The window, The Modern art, New 7th Music and Mystery Plane.

Tracklisting:

A1 She's My Baby
A2 A Tribute To Jo Change
A3 Last George
A4 "...Snakes Sang"
A5 Let Freedom Reign
A6 A Place Of My Own
B1 Radio Dromedary
B2 Promised Land
B3 Haunted House
B4 "Obviously Nigger Music"
B5 Jo Change (2)
B7 Yesterday
B8 Lard

DOWNLOAD rock'n'roll at its leastest HERE!

Various ‎Artists – "Purple Twilight" (Color Disc ‎– Colors 2) 1985

Despite 'Color' being a glaring spelling error, (The american spelling!), there are very few errors on any of their compilations.
Purple Twilight being one of them.Although the title would suggest that it may have been one of those Bam Caruso Brit-psych/Freakbeat compilations, if one didn't know better.
There are some Neo-Psych tracks within however, but scattered among the Minimal Synth, proto-Indie tchoons, and Cold wave classics.The Duke Of Disrespect also makes another, but welcome, appearance with the samplerdeclic non-hit hit, "You Tell Lies".
Experimental improv combo,'New 7th Music', featuring Paul Keldays brother ,Phil, also makes a very rare outing on vinyl.
A smogasbord of excellence.

Tracklisting:

A1 –Mystery Plane - Red Slime Creepers
A2 –Eye See - Evenings
A3 –Space Brothers - Sixteenth Avenue Atmosphere
A4 –The Duke Of Disrespect - You Tell Lies (Banging Away)
A5 –The Teamtones - Build A House And Marry, Tom
A6 –WeR7 - Revolve Her
A7 –Timothy London And The Soho Sisters - Hold Me Down
B1 –Modern Art - Death Wish
B2 –New 7th Music - Hibakusha
B3 –Omming For Works - Change Of Intention/The Punished Animal
B4 –Face In The Crowd - How Much Do You Know?
B5 –Andy Boot Quartet - Is That Close Enough?
B6 –The Ordinary - Wessex Tales

DOWNLOAD into the purple daylight HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "An Hour Of Color Vol. 3" (Color Disc ‎– Color 13) 1986

The incredibly high standard of stuff from Color Tapes continues with volume 3 of the 'An Hour Of Color' series of compilations.I've said it all before, you know what you're gonna get, so get on with it.....its good.

Tracklisting:

A1 –Space Brothers - Lost Civilisation
A2 –Modern Art - Monument Of Heaven
A3 –Lives Of Angels - Lives Of Angels
A4 –WeR7 - The Hearts Outstanding
A5 –Kata Kolbert - Poor Poor Thing
A6 –Cleaners From Venus - Ilya Kuryakin Looked At Me
A7 –Moisten Before Use - Where To Now
A8 –Bill Pritchard - Fact Or Fiction
B1 –Space Brothers - Purple Twilight
B2 –Modern Art - She Cannot Yet Be Seen
B3 –Lives Of Angels - Green On Black
B4 –Kata Kolbert - Marriage Of Inconvenience
B5 –Shadow Of Light - Play Your Joker
B6 –Cleaners From Venus - Follow The Plough
B7 –3D5 - Special Fx
B8 –Face In The Crowd - Somewhere, Sometimes
B9 –Mystery Plane - Madame Sin

DOWNLOAD the color from c86 HERE!

Various ‎Artists – "An Hour Of Color Vol. 2" (Color Disc ‎– Color 10) 1985

Another one of the many compilations released on cassette by Color Tapes in the eighties, this one is from 1985....not a vintage year elsewhere, but on the Color label, it was as if the 'New Romantics' had never happened.
We are treated to two melodic classix from the cruelly ignored 'Cleaners From Venus', worth the admission money all by themselves.This is countered by the truly awful 'That It', with some over-clever lounge jazz for the discerning pseudo intellectual.
The rest is populated by the usual Color crew, normally involving Gary Ramon somewhere in the mix of Minimal Synth, Cold Wave, and Proto-Indie ditties...really rather marvellous.

Tracklisting:

A1 –Cleaners From Venus - Soul Monday
A2 –Lives Of Angels - Red Suit
A3 –Take-It - Fallen Out
A4 –Modern Art - Confrontation
A5 –Berserk In A Hayfield - Pulse
A6 –WeR7 - I Was Not A Jew
A7 –Space Brothers - Lodore
B1 –Cleaners From Venus - Julie Profumo
B2 –Take-It - I'd Like To Talk To You
B3 –Berserk In A Hayfield - Fear
B4 –Mystery Plane - Dungeon Blues
B5 –Timothy London - Mission Impossible
B6 –The Teamtones - She Says No
B7 –Lives Of Angels - Threatened
B8 –Andy Boot Quartet - Perfectly Perfunctory
B9 –WeR7 - I Pray To A Moving God

DOWNLOAD a full 52 minutes of color HERE!

Various ‎Artists – "Cold Waves Of Color Volume 4" (Color Disc ‎– COLOR LP 06) 2016

Yet more minimal synth cold wave classics from Color Tapes' classic early eighties period. All the usual suspects are here again.....most of them involving Gary Ramon (latterly of The SunDial). All previously available only on the medium of cassette, and have now been expertly remastered from the original masters to appear sparkly and as crisp as newly born babe. Its almost incomprehensible that these babes are now approaching forty years old; but they are!

Tracklisting:

A1 –Beatmixer - Danse Electrique
A2 –Silicon Valley - Going Out
A3 –Berserk In A Hayfield - Start Of Something
A4 –Disintegrators - Transmissions Unknown
A5 –Silicon Valley - ZX
A6 –WeR7 - Word Perfect
B1 –Mystery Plane - I'll Get You For This
B2 –Echophase - Train
B3 –Berserk In A Hayfield - Optical
B4 –Lives Of Angels - Gateway
B5 –Beatmixer - The Beatmixer

DOWNLOAD and surf the cold wave HERE!

Various ‎Artists – "Cold Waves Of Color Volume 2 (1982-85)" (Color Disc ‎– COLOR LP 02) 2015

Color Disc, previously Color Tapes, was once a vehicle for a bunch of Neo-Psych and Proto Indie bands from 1980 onwards, and it was mainly these same groups of musicians who also produced some of the best underground minimal synth of the early eighties. Electronic music is, in my opinion, a superior form of Psych, both in classic and Neo versions, so the leap in style is not as great as it would first seem. A form which would eventually haunt us all as 'Acid House', which then evolved into that bloody awful 'club culture' when the proletariat wrestled  it from the grasp us elitist types.It always happens,mass acceptance leading to a generic indolence of a particularly unattractive kind.
The gorgeous analogue beauty of these timeless pieces of minimal electro-psych in that short window of time from 1980-85 when synthpop, or synth wave was almost impossible to do badly.Just look at that equipment list, perfect.

Tracklisting:

A1 –Disintegrators - Elixir Vapor 3:31
A2 –Void - Transvision 3:06
A3 –The Lord - Out Of Space & Out Of Time 6:15
A4 –Body Electric - Undercurrents 3:17
A5 –Space Brothers - Lodore (Purple Twilight remix) 3:30
B1 –Void - Radio 3:44
B2 –Berserk In A Hayfield - Pulse 5:11
B3 –WeR7 - Masterful Of Ceremonies 5:13
B4 –Lives Of Angels - Experiment 1 2:29
B5 –Mystery Plane - Find Some Body 3:53
B6 –Lives Of Angels - Experiment 2 2:44

DOWNLOAD an analogue tsunami of color HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "Cold Waves Of Color (1981-85)" (Color Disc ‎– COLOR LP 01) 2014

A recent series of compilations of UK electronic cold wave and minimal synth from the legendary Color tapes label. Featuring many previously neo-psych bands, mostly including DIY legend Gary Ramon as a member. All of these tracks were previously only available on cassette, either/or previously unreleased. They could have been recorded yesterday such is the quality and future leaning inventiveness of all of these tracks.

Tracklisting:

1 –Berserk In A Hayfield - Tease
2 –Modern Art - Alternative Universe (Edit)
3 –Lives Of Angels - Lives Of Angels
4 –The Lord - Winds Of Space
5 –Berserk In A Hayfield - Code
6 –WeR7 - Don't Surrender
7 –Mystery Plane - Pigsty Cafe
8 –Stereo Machines And Kinesis - Excerpt From Cassette Number 10
9 –WeR7 - Volt Air
10 –The Lord - Space Is The Bass
11 –Disintegrators - Beyond Reason Beyond Time
12 –Lives Of Angels - Threatened
13 –Modern Art - Age Of Lights (Instrumental Version)

DOWNLOAD in full color HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "Fire On Boat" (Terse Tapes ‎– TRS006c) 1980

A C90 compilations from Terse Tapes (ran by Tom Ellard of Severed Heads) featuring UK DIY bands/Artists from the midlands compiled with Mark from....poor lad....Coventry.

This is why we find bands from Northampton,Nuneaton, Coventry and beyond on an Australian cassette label.

There are brief, but very worthwhile forays into the north via Liverpool with the Legendary Phillip Johnson,and Edinburgh with Josef K frontman Paul Haig,doing a very raw version of Josef K tune 'Pictures'.Not forgetting south Humbersiders,and DIY foundation stone layers, Instant Automatons, and chums, Alien Brains!

Not to mention some pre-fame Eyeless In Gaza stuff.

We also have something from DIY legend Gary Ramon in his WeR7 incarnation, and fellow Color Tapes stablemates 'Lives Of Angels',appearing here as the Body Electric.

Its ALL enrobed in that classic DIY small room ambiance,lashings of  fuzz and hiss; played on the cheapest equipment possible.

A classic compilation on a classic DIY Label.


Tracklisting:

A1 –Rota Rhythms - The Age Of The Fun Cassette
A2 –PR5 - Private Armies
A3 –Dave Carson - Crashing And Gasping
A4 –Paul Haig - Pictures
A5 –Philip Johnson - Nothing
A6 –Philip Johnson - Holiday Train
A7 –Paul Reekie - Drugs At School
A8 –A.D.H. - Ruins/Drive
A9 –Ron Crowcroft Lock/Unlock
A10 –WeR7 - Disquiet Music 2
A11 –The Ordinary - Fight The Good Fight 

B1 –Religious Overdose - 25 Minutes
B2 –Body Electric - Red Suit
B3 –Martyn Bates - Engine Failing
B4 –Douglas Barrie & Stuart Wright - March
B5 –Kevin Harrison - The Boy Was Dead (Ambulance Song)
B6 –Alien Brains - 2 Minutes Of Alien Brains
B7 –The Instant Automatons - Brains Under Glass
B8 –Eyeless In Gaza - By Proxy
B9 –Disintegrators - Disintegration (Excerpt)
B10 –Tony Clough - Isolation 1
B11 –Excitement Pathetix - Fun Cassette

DOWNLOAD the fire off boat HERE!